


I'm Gonna Turn This Car Around

by FunkyinFishnet



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Advice, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, M/M, Male Slash, Relationship Advice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:20:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26090293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FunkyinFishnet/pseuds/FunkyinFishnet
Summary: Nico would like to point out this isn't his fault - he does not encourage interruptions when he's visiting Kevin after a race. But his grid children find him anyway and there's questions all of them need to ask, including Nico.
Relationships: Daniel Ricciardo/Max Verstappen, Nico Hulkenberg/Kevin Magnussen
Comments: 18
Kudos: 107





	I'm Gonna Turn This Car Around

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to simplyverstappen for all the cheerleading! I owe you a lot!

Nico unzips Kevin's racing suit, greedy hands pushing past Kevin’s under-shirt then touching Kevin’s bare ring finger, his mouth pressing to Kevin's. Kevin smells of petrol and asphalt and Nico wants to get at the underside of Kevin's jaw where sweat always gathers during a race.

There's a knock at the motorhome door though. Kevin bites Nico's bottom lip, hard enough to leave a mark, like it's Nico's fault. Nico pulls back to smirk, arms still tight around Kevin.

“It’s your motorhome, _Schatz_ ,” he reminds Kevin, when the knock comes again, impatient.

Kevin runs a sharp finger down Nico’s chest, Nico wants to bite it, “My team identify themselves when they knock.”

“So it must be for me? I’m a Racing Point guest, why would they look here?”

Kevin’s look says Nico’s smirking words aren’t cute (they are) and Kevin isn’t an idiot (he isn’t). It’s why he’s staying close to Nico.

“The race is over, you don’t stay in the garage,” Kevin replies, voice dropping to that deep smoky level that always makes Nico want to shove him against the nearest wall and suck marks across his neck, well, more marks. 

Kevin’s under-shirt covers the ones Nico left there that morning. Nico presses his thumb to a couple and savours how Kevin’s eyes flutter between open and shut and his breathing roughens. But then there’s another knock, and a voice at last.

“Kevin, is Nico there? I’m sorry, I know...is he there?”

It’s Max and he sounds more unsure than Nico’s ever heard him. Kevin isn’t surprised though, he angles his head towards the door but doesn’t move an inch otherwise.

“Come in, it’s open.”

The door opens immediately and Max slips inside, flipping the lock closed after him. Interesting. His eyes widen slightly when he takes in how they’re pressed together, Kevin’s racing suit half stripped off. He doesn’t blush though, just looks immensely apologetic.

“Sorry, yes, I know, your time together. It’s that actually, I need some advice.”

Kevin sighs and raises his eyebrows at Nico. Nico smirks and shrugs back, he doesn’t know why every time he’s at the track some young driver seeks him out for advice. Maybe because he’s not on the grid anymore. He’s a safe option who won’t use whatever they say against them. He never promises not to laugh though, they know that and they still ask him. It’s flattering, really.

Kevin smirks now and kisses him, briefly but with enough teeth to serve as a reminder of what Nico is now missing out on. Fuck. Then Kevin saunters out of Nico’s arms and towards the kitchen.

“Water?” he directs at Max in passing.

“Yes, please, and um, you too, it’s not just Nico I need advice from.”

That surprises Kevin, he slows a step to examine Max who stares back unhindered, with a hint of pleading really. Okay then, this is new. Usually it’s just Nico they want to see. He’s talked about the pros and cons of different teams, the most suitable road car to buy, how and where to invest, who can be trusted for an honest opinion in the paddock, more than once he’s been asked about a lot of team principals, and one memorable day, he was consulted about baby names. None of those conversations started this way.

Max waits for Kevin to return with the water and they all sit around where they can, Kevin beside Nico, but only their hips touch, Kevin’s already made his point.

“How did you know, that it was a good time to do this? Be together?” Max asks, with no warm up.

Oh. Nico laughs, “He seduced me after we fought.”

Kevin rolls his eyes, “He insulted me, I settled the argument.”

“You distracted me so we didn’t finish the argument.”

It’s an argument that won’t end. What Nico really remembers from that day is how monumentally angry he was and then how he was the opposite. That was it. And breakfast was good. He runs a hand over Kevin’s nearest fingers, lingering on one.

Kevin tips his head, gaze running back to Max, “You are ‘asking for a friend’?”

His tone is mocking but he’s also giving Max an out, if the Dutchman wants it, plausible deniability for all. But Max shakes his head, his expression entirely serious and also, very unusually, like he might rattle apart with the wrong push.

Nico leans forward a little, because honestly, despite some youthful explosions, Max has a cool head these days, particularly off track. Nico frowns at the difference now. Kevin squeezes Nico’s hand before letting go.

“Is it someone you shouldn’t be with?” Nico asks first, because that’s most important.

Max looks surprised and shakes his head immediately, “No, no, it’s not like that. He and I, we’re both single.”

Nico hums, it hits him sometimes how very young the grid is. Max is a huge talent but he’s also young, navigating the usual relationship nightmares of any man in his twenties as well as massive media attention and expectation, combined with the weight of a team’s hopes. Nico presses his foot against Kevin’s, gratefully.

“Does he know, how you feel?” Nico asks.

He doesn’t need to name names. Max isn’t insular like, say, Kimi. He’s serious when he races and he laughs and is friendly off track, but there’s only one person he completely lights up for. And if Max thinks he’s been subtle around Daniel Ricciardo...

“I have not said anything, but he has moved teams once and he’s going to again. And sometimes it feels he’s getting further away somehow, it doesn’t make sense, I know. But I also know I do not want to wait.”

There’s the maturity of Max - he’s not shying from the problem, he’s looking for a strategy to attack it. Nico loves that.

“Does your team know?”

“His team knows,” Kevin cuts in, dryly certain.

Now Max looks alarmed but Nico waves him down, “If they thought it would be a problem, they would have said something and cut it away before it was an issue. They may not loudly support you, but it’s not likely they’ll smear you or try to move you on.”

“If you keep your performances up,” Kevin reminds him. “Don’t give them an excuse.”

Max nods sharply at that, not looking the least overwhelmed. He obviously finds that part easy to bear, seeing as he's likely been doing it since he realised he wasn’t going to be marrying in a church. 

“I don’t want his performances to suffer,” Max explains. “With the rest of his season and then a new team he wants to impress, I don’t want to add to the pressure.”

Nico knows Kevin is about to say that Daniel knows, because Daniel isn’t stupid, though maybe Max is if he hasn’t noticed the way Daniel looks back at him. So Nico talks first.

“Daniel has been talking to you, during this pressure time, right? I mean, you see him a lot off track?”

Max nods, happiness lighting up his face, it makes him look so boyish. It makes Nico grin in response, “We live close to each other, we get meals and play games and he talks to me. He says it helps.”

Max looks so pleased saying that, Kevin’s hand is a firm steady pressure on Nico’s thigh now, not to distract him, Nico knows that touch. This is more a reminder for them both, of how awesome it is they don’t have to go through this unnecessary uncertainty again. Nico traces a certain bare knuckle on Kevin’s hand.

“Right, and he hasn’t tried to back off at all, he hasn’t acted like seeing you is too much right now. So seeing you must help or be important. I don’t think you **can** add to the pressure, you can only make things easier.”

Max is looking thoughtful and hopeful. Logic always works with Max, when he isn’t too worked up to listen to reason.

“Don’t do it in front of the media,” says Kevin, smirking.

Max breaks out into a laugh, “Yes, that would be a problem.” His smile stays but his tone goes serious and wondering now, “He makes everything easier for me. I want him to know that.”

Nico’s smirk softens, Max’s honesty is such a gift. It says a lot that he’s kept this hidden for so long when he bluntly lets everything else out, not on purpose or for effect, but because he knows no other way to be.

Kevin squeezes Nico’s thigh and Nico threads their fingers together. Max looks secure again, like everything that was falling apart has come back together stronger. He stands then abruptly, like he’s made up his mind.

“Thanks, sorry I interrupted you.”

Kevin smiles a touch but he doesn’t deny it, neither does Nico, instead he says, “It was good to see you, Max. Really, don’t waste time on this. Good luck.”

Not that Max needs it really. Daniel is his, whether Max says anything or not. But Nico is oddly proud of Max, he’s so young to be having such clarity about what he wants off track. Most drivers his age focus so much on the racing, everything else gets left behind until they are in the twilight of their careers. Nico doubts Max’s career will suffer for dating Daniel, Nico’s sure that most of the grid assumes they’re together already and so have been deliberately blind in deference to privacy.

Max leaves as suddenly as he arrived, shutting the door neatly behind him without needing to be told. Nico sighs and sits back on the sofa, kissing Kevin’s hand. Kevin smiles at him, amused. He looks incredibly good for a man who recently spent hours sweating in a cramped racecar cockpit. 

Nico kisses him, deep and grateful, “Thank God we are here already.”

Kevin’s eyebrows lift, “You mean thank God I won the argument that got us here.”

Nico shakes his head, thumb running over Kevin’s ring finger. He presses his thumbprint against the finger joint.

“Thank God I am here to correct your terrible memory.”

He stands, pulls Kevin to his feet and reels him in close. Kevin’s expression says he’s humouring Nico but he tucks an arm around Nico’s waist, wearing the smile that Nico always thinks about when he isn’t around. His stomach swoops and he squeezes Kevin’s hand again, another reminder for them both.

He tugs Kevin towards the bathroom, seeing as none of Kevin’s team have knocked yet, and Kevin voices Nico’s next thought, “No more of your children will come calling?”

Nico’s scoff turns into a smirk, “You talk like a man who doesn’t want to get fucked and eat _vaniljekranse_.”

There’s no talk for a while after that, but by the time there is, there’s cookie crumbs in both the bedsheets and Kevin’s racing suit. They both blame Max.

///

A couple of races later, Nico doesn’t even get Kevin’s racing suit unzipped before there’s knocking at the motorhome door. Kevin has unbuttoned Nico’s trousers though and opens his mouth to tell Max to fuck off and fuck Daniel when it’s Daniel’s voice they hear.

“This is quick I swear, no cameras. Or there aren’t right now, there might be if I’m out here much longer.”

Nico dips his head to Kevin’s shoulder and swears quietly in Danish. When he raises his head again, Kevin is looking at him with amused hot eyes. It’s a very good look on him, as most things are. Nico kisses him of course, but is interrupted again by Daniel.

"Guys, please, I know you're in there. Don't make me start vlogging."

Kevin releases his grip on Nico, a sad day for them both, "It's open, Ricciardo."

The surname's a bad sign and Daniel seems to know it as he gets inside and shuts the door behind him, wearing an apologetic face. It gets even more apologetic when he sees Kevin rebuttoning Nico's trousers with the sort of silent finesse that speaks volumes.

Daniel tries again, “I’m sorry but-.”

“You are here anyway,” Kevin switches to German then, turning back to Nico, " _hre Kinder haben schreckliche Manieren._ "

Nico’s heart hitches, his expression turning smoky and delighted. He can’t look any other way when Kevin speaks German. He reaches for Kevin but his boyfriend takes a deliberate step back, out of Nico’s reach.

He turns more German on Daniel as he leaves, “ _Wann ist mir egal. Sag ihm._ ”

Then he’s gone, heading deeper into the motorhome, shutting a door behind him. No doubt he’ll wash away the sweat-race smells that Nico loves, punishing Nico as though this is his fault. If Nico had known Daniel’s intentions, obviously he would have told Daniel to visit a lot later on. He hopes Kevin won’t bite too hard tonight. Okay, he lies, he hopes there’s biting.

“I really will make this quick.”

Right, Daniel’s here. Nico turns and notices for the first time that Daniel looks really worried and he’s not smiling at all. When he does try a smile, it’s really weak. Nico frowns, concern flaring up for the first time.

“What’s wrong? Is it Max?”

“Oh, no, not really. Well, it’s to do with Max. He’s fine, I’m sure.”

Nico relaxes and doesn’t roll his eyes. He’s so very tempted to throw Daniel out with the instruction to talk to Max because seriously, everything will be okay if they talk to each other. But he hasn’t seen Daniel this unsmiling since he was thinking of leaving Red Bull, so Nico raises his eyebrows pointedly.

“He’s fine, but you’re not.”

Daniel sighs, tugging his hat off and running a hand through his sweaty curls. It is so strange that Daniel and Max are so worked up about the exact same thing and haven’t talked to each other about it. It should worry their teams that they both clearly miss the absolute obvious.

“You and Kevin, right, you…”

“You and Max, right?” Nico teases slightly, when Daniel can’t seem to grasp any more words. This is really unusual, Daniel without a quick line or a ready word. He really is undone.

Daniel’s smile looks less pale now and he nods, relieved that Nico gets it so quickly, “He’s right up there fighting for the title and I left his team and him for mid table and worse. If I try to...change anything-.”

“Tell him how you feel, yes.”

“- I could throw him off totally, I could cost him the title or maybe even his team.”

Nico would laugh but Daniel is obviously serious and really concerned about this. It’s unnerving seeing him this way. Nico shakes his head gently, and then smirks because, 

"I lost my seat. You think I blame Kevin?"

Daniel's eyes go very wide as he realises what he's managed to imply, "Oh, shit, I-."

"Obviously not," Nico cuts in, still smirking. "It didn't matter who I was fucking. And if you wait for the perfect time to say important things, you will never say them. Max is important to you?”

Daniel nods, his eyes lighting up with so much love, he might as well have cartoon hearts circling him. “ **So** important.”

That is a very small amount of words for all he’s obviously feeling but it still makes Nico grin. Daniel and Max should be unbearable, so in love and like high school children; this is what happens when teenagers skip school and go straight into racing. Puberty lasts forever. But somehow they’re also adorable, and make Nico wish for their cartoon hearts to stay.

“You want to wait until one of you is world champion? Or until you both might be back on the same team? Why waste that time?”

This can’t be news to Daniel. Maybe he needs a push, someone to say what he’s been hoping. Nico doubts he’s talked to anyone at Renault or anyone on the grid, they’d only outline the risks to his career. As though Daniel and Max can’t continue having amazing careers together as well as apart.

“But you know that,” Nico points out.

Daniel looks sheepish now. It’s so unlike him, he left a team running near the top of the table because he knew he was better than what he was getting. He and Max might be strikingly different but their similarities are just as notable.

Nico chuckles and gets to his feet decisively. There really isn’t anything more he can say that will help and not just because he wants the interruptions to end. It’s truly down to them now.

“You should tell him, Daniel. Kevin and I fought in front of the press, he was still interested.”

Daniel laughs loudly now, looking much more himself, “I love that story.”

He heads to the door though as Nico calls after him, “Let me know how it goes, just not in person, okay?”

Daniel laughs again, dirty and delighted, but he does leave and shut the door behind him again. Nico locks it before going to look for Kevin.

When they can’t find one of his racing boots the next morning, they both blame Daniel.

///

A week later, Nico has just finished fucking Kevin. They’re lying on the motorhome bed together, Kevin curled up against his chest, it’s always one of his softer moments. Nico loves that he gets this, his eyes closed, fingers tracing Kevin’s left hand. Kevin relaxes even more.

There’s no knock at the door, but they do hear Max and Daniel approaching. Kevin swears in Danish.

“Your children-,” he starts.

But there’s a different interruption this time. It’s Max, staying somewhere outside the motorhome saying, “Do you want to get dinner? There’s so many places open still.”

“Steak! I mean, I assume that’s where you were going with that.”

Daniel sounds so much more relaxed and Nico smiles in response, his eyes staying closed. He laces his fingers with Kevin’s and keeps him close.

“Using me as an excuse for steak,” Daniel continues, teasing.

“I don’t need an excuse for steak. It’s more like the steak is my excuse to have dinner with you.”

There’s a pause then that tells Nico this is not their normal. This is...is this the moment one of them is actually following his advice and saying something? Kevin is still too.

“You don’t need an excuse for that either,” Dan says at last, his voice a lot softer and sounding like he’s smiling widely. “I’d **love** to have dinner with you.”

“As a date,” Max clarifies, like he wants to be absolutely clear, his voice not shaking at all and Nico is silently very proud.

There’s movement then, clothing whispering against skin, hands in hair maybe and the unmistakable sound of mouths meeting. 

“You don’t need an excuse for that either,” Daniel repeats at last, his voice having dropped from smiling to huskily tender. “That’s pretty much what I’ve been thinking about for months now, maybe years?”

Max laughs and maybe he pushes Dan because someone definitely knocks against the motorhome. If they scuff it, they pay for the damages.

“We could have been doing this for years?!”

“Doing what? What have you got in mind, Maxy?”

There’s more kissing then and someone getting roughly pinned against the motorhome. They’re definitely paying damages.

“What a waste,” grouses Max when they resurface and apparently don’t keep defiling the paintwork.

“Yeah,” Dan laughs, they sound like they’re leaving now. “I’ve heard that before.”

“Oh? Hey, we are not the only ones, you know, have you seen the way Nico keeps touching Kevin’s hand?”

Nico’s eyes snap open, there’s no way Kevin will miss how Nico’s heart-rate just kicked up.

“The hand where Kevin could wear a certain ring? Yeah, hard to miss. Hey, did **we** miss the left turn here?”

Their voices fade away now, leaving Nico and Kevin intertwined and still. Nico’s thumb skirts close to Kevin’s finger. It’s possible that for the past few weeks a velvet-covered cube has been secreted in Nico’s travel bag. It’s not like he hasn’t been busy. And he might have bought a bottle of Gammel Dansk and considered getting a small _kransekake_ ordered. He might have been learning a certain phrase in Danish.

“Your children are very annoying,” Kevin states.

But his tone is soft and he is definitely awake. He’s waiting now. If Nico moves a little, he can see how the early evening light is blessed by Kevin's face. He can see the slightest smile moulding the edges of Kevin's mouth because he can’t contain it. And if Nico dangles an arm off the bed, he can reach into his bag and curl fingers around a familiar squarish shape.

His heartbeat hasn't slowed much but Kevin isn't going anywhere. His smile widens a fraction and his pale eyes are warm. They match the warmth that wants to explode out of Nico’s chest.

“You’re not going to let the children mock you?”

Nico grins, Kevin’s tone is light and mocking but Nico can feel how Kevin’s heartbeat is affected now too. He kisses Kevin’s hand lingeringly. He hopes he doesn’t look as rattled apart as Max and Daniel did.

“There’s Gammel Dansk in the fridge, behind the pickles, and good German beer,” When Kevin laughs quietly, Nico goes for it, “ _At have dig ved min side er det, der fuldender mig. Lad os tilbringe resten af vores liv sammen._ ”

Kevin kisses Nico so powerfully that he knocks the box away, muttering drops of German and Danish for Nico to swallow.

_"Børnene bliver kun dine._ ”

Kevin doesn’t put the ring on until morning. It’s platinum and laced with beautiful diamonds that won’t interfere with his racing grip. It also smells faintly of Seville orange and star anise. Nico and Kevin blame each other.

**Author's Note:**

> **Translations**
> 
> _"Ihre Kinder haben schreckliche Manieren."_ \- Your children have terrible manners.
> 
>  _“Wann ist mir egal. Sag ihm.”_ \- When does not matter. Tell him.
> 
> “ _At have dig ved min side er det, der fuldender mig. Lad os tilbringe resten af vores liv sammen.”_ \- having you by side is what completes me, let’s spend the rest of our lives together.
> 
> ” _Børnene bliver kun dine_.” - the children stay yours only
> 
> The German was checked by my husband, huge love and thanks to him. Danish was from brief online research, apologies to anyone it jars with.
> 
> First F1 fic in four years! Please leave kudos and comments if you enjoyed <3  
> Find me on tumblr at dinomighty


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